Another exaggeration, says Aguirre of Duterte ‘killing’ druggies

President Rodrigo Duterte. INQUIRER FILE

Just because you kill suspects does not mean you have violated the law, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said of the President Rodrigo Duterte’s fresh admission that he personally killed drug suspects as mayor of Davao City.

Aguirre said Duterte’s remark was just another hyperbole.

“Sinabi naman n’ya yun noong nakaraang kampanya pa. Palaging hyperbole yan si Presidente, palaging exaggerated just to put his message across,” he told reporters at the Senate.

READ: Duterte: I personally killed drug suspects

Aguirre noted Duterte’s statement during the campaign period that he had killed kidnappers, who refused to surrender to him.

Asked if the President had violated the law, the Justice Secretary said, “Wala, wala. Hindi nangangahulugan na porke pumatay ka ng suspect ay may violation ng laws.

“It could be done with a justifiable cause and justified circumstances as a public officer in order to arrest pero lumaban yung suspect. He must have been forced to kill.”

Asked again if he would investigate the President, Aguirre said he was not in a position to do it.

In a speech Monday night in Malacañang, Duterte admitted that he “personally” killed drug suspects when he was mayor.

“I know it because—I am not trying to pull my own chair—in Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the [policemen] that if I can do it, why can’t you?” he said.

“I go around Davao (on) a big bike and I would just patrol the streets looking for trouble. I was really looking for an encounter to kill,” the President added. CBB